Born from the Ashes
by bamboo72498
Summary: Jack and Angela's journey to the birth of their second son. Written for the 2018 Bonesology winter/Advent challenge
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Merry Christmas, nerds! I hope Santa brought you everything you wanted, and that you are enjoying the day with the people you love. Today starts an Advent writing challenge brought to you by the nerds over at Bonesology. Basically, for the next 12 days, you are going to get a little gift in the form of this story. Everyday had to connect in some way, and I think you guys are going to love it!**

 **This story takes place immediately following 'The End in the End' Enjoy!**

 **"On the first day of 'Bonesmas, my writer friend gave to me** a brand new Hodgela baby!"

* * *

They were two days past the explosion and still trying to wrap their heads around what had happened. A psycho serial killer had gotten into a place they knew to be one of the most secure in the country. He had gone into their home, placed bombs all over, and blown it to pieces. He had nearly ended everything; turned kids into orphans, separated families, left FBI agents partnerless. Sure, the smoke had cleared, but the memory of the rubble, of the smell, of the flashing lights and the sirens and the tears, will probably be with them forever.

With Hodgins now 'King of the Lab', it was his job to make sure the crew doing the repairs on the lab didn't mess it up. It would take anywhere between three and six weeks to finish, and until then they were shut down. They couldn't do much without access to their equipment and computers, and despite the very kind offers from colleges and county coroner's offices to make use of their facilities, it wasn't the same.

So here they sat: Angela and Jack, in her OB/GYN's office for a check-up. The EMT at the scene, after finding a strong fetal heartbeat, had medically cleared her aside from cuts and bruises (and a firm warning that if she felt anything, bleeding, cramps, anything, Angela was to go to the ER immediately),they just wanted to be sure; they wanted someone they trusted to reassure them that their baby was fine and that Angela was fine. They needed it.

A nurse brings them back, checks Angela's weight and blood pressure and leaves them in a room with an ultrasound machine inside. Funnily enough, it was the same room where they both found out Angela was indeed pregnant with the baby that would become Michael Vincent, and where they found out said baby was going to be a boy. They sit and wait, making small talk, getting lost in their minds.

The tech comes in, a tiny, preppy thing with a swinging ponytail and pink scrubs with little hearts all over, introducing herself as Paige. She squirts the goo over Angela's belly and flips the machine on. The baby is sitting pretty low, so it takes Paige a minute to find the heartbeat, but when she does, it fills the room strong and loud. And instantly their worries are relieved; despite everything that had happened, their baby was absolutely fine. And when Paige turns on the TV so they can see as well, they are both so overcome, they start to cry.

"Look, there he is," Angela manages to whisper. He's grown since the last time they saw him at Angela's first appointment three weeks ago: tiny arms and legs, his alien head, and the early formation of his facial features; it's beautiful. He's moving around, kicking his little legs and wiggling his fingers.

Jack is gripping his wife's hand, looking between her and their child on the screen. "There he is," he agrees.


	2. Chapter 2

**Glad you guys enjoyed day one! Here's day two.**

 **'On the second day of Bonesmas, my writer friend gave to me** two older siblings.

* * *

Michael Vincent watches the TV screen in front of him, the game controller in his hands moving side-to-side. He was in last place and was determined to beat his cousin in this race. Christine squeals and yells at him when her character slips on the banana he drops and Michael has to laugh. With that mistake, he was able to take the lead and win the race.

"No fair!" Christine argues. "You made me slip!"

"Want a do-over?" Michael offers. "No tricks this time. Promise."

"You promise? Like really, truly promise?" Christine knew his tricks and wasn't falling for them again.

"Promise," Michael insists.

"Okay."

They race again, and Michael keeps his promise of no tricks. In the middle of it, Christine's little brother comes into the playroom and dumps a bin of legos onto the floor.

"Hank, no!" Christine scolds, pausing their nearly finished race and rushing to her brother. "You're not allowed to play with these." she pries the lego from Hank's hand and he starts to cry.

"Make him stop before your dad comes in here!" Michael says.

"What do I do?" Christine asks, scared, looking between her brother, Michael and the door, waiting for any signs of adult presence.

"Um," Michael searches for a distraction to stop Hank from crying. He spies the extra game controller lying next to the system. "Here! Here, Hank, play with this. Let's race!" He guides the toddler over in front of the TV and hands him the controller. Cristine follows and picks up her controller, curious about her cousin's plan. "Ready?" Michael asks and a second later, the race resumes.

"He's too little, he can't do it!" Christine says.

"Shh," Michael hisses. "Wow, Hank! You're doing great. Look at you go!" On the screen, only two players are racing: Michael and Christine. Hank's controller is not only turned off but not connected to a character. But to him, it looks as though he's playing with the big kids.

It takes Christine another few moments to realize, but once she does, she's glad for her cousin and his quick thinking.

"I winnin'! Look, 'Teen! I winnin'," Hank happily cheers, looking to see if his sister is watching.

"I see!" Christine says. "You're gonna beat me."

"You're beefing me too!" Michael Vincent interjects. "No fair!"

Hank crows with laughter, happy to be playing with the big kids. They race a few more times, even letting Hank actually control a character once. Hand over hand, Michael helps Hank race his sister, showing him how to drop traps and make his sister lose, which Hank loves. Christine loses the race, but is happy to let her brother win; she'll beat him someday.

Unbeknownst to the kids, Angela was standing in the crack of the playroom door, watching the kids play. 'He's going to make a great big brother' she thinks to herself, turning to leave before they notice her.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay, so it's a day late, I'm sorry. But, I hope you like it just the same.**

 **'On the third day of Bonesmas, my writer friend gave to me:** three gossiping mamas'

* * *

Over lunch one Tuesday, Cam decides to ditch her boys and meet her friends for food. They hadn't seen each other as much since she had started her sabbatical, and honestly, she missed them. Arriving at the diner, she finds Angela and Brennan at their regular window table. She sits after exchanging hugs and hellos with the two and gives her order to the waiting server.

"You look amazing," she tells Angela, watching the artist blush and smile.

"Thank you," Angela laughs, a hand going to her stomach.

"And how is Christine doing? Booth told her she lost her school's spelling bee," cam asks, turning to Brennan.

"Well she lost to a student four years older than her, and her attitude towards losing was less than ideal," Brennan says.

"Well yeah; I would be upset losing to a sixth grader too," Cam agrees.

"I understood her sadness, but I explained that she would just have to try again the following term."

"Yeah, but, sweetie: you have to give her props. I mean a second grader going up against a sixth grader? That not only takes skill but a lot of guts," Angela says, proud of her niece.

"Oh, I am very proud of her," Brennan says, "but I don't want that to stop her from practicing and improving."

"Trust me," Cam interjects, "if she's anything like Seeley, losing like this will only drive her to be better even more. Don't be surprised if by this time next year you're living with a walking dictionary."

They all laugh at that, and silence falls over the group as their food arrives and they spend more time eating than talking.

"So, how are the boys? Are they setting in okay?" Angeal asks Can once a sufficient amount of food had been eaten.

"Oh, they are so great," Cam gushes. "They were settled in after two days. I think just the stability of a real home helped them so much. Tyler loves having his own room. But I've caught him curled in bed with his brothers a few nights."

"Aw, that's sweet. Sometimes brothers just need each other," Angela says. "Oh, and Michael Vincent still wants Jordan to do soccer with him in the fall." Living in the same neighborhood as Cam and her family, Michael Vincent had grown close to the youngest Vaziri boy and was determined to get him onto his club soccer team.

"Well with all the practicing those two have been doing lately, I'd be surprised if he didn't," Cam says. She pauses, thinking through her next sentence over another bite. "If I asked you to do something for me, could you keep it a secret?"

"Depends. What are you asking me to do?" Angela questions, knowing for past experiences that that phrase could go many different directions; some possible illegal.

"Cam, you're not asking Angela to investigate someone for you again, are you?" Brennan asks, picking up on the subtext of her friend's question.

"Cam," Angela gasps apaled. "No way. Remember what happened last time?"

"I know," Cam says, covering her face, disgusted in herself for even suggesting it. "But I don't want to know everything, just that he's being safe."

"Who? Arastoo?" Angela asks.

"No, Jordan. He's been going to The Y a lot lately with kids he's met and I don't know what they're doing, and I just need to know he's okay."

"You know you can do that on your phone, right?"

"Oh, I know. I just don't want him to know I'm snooping. I know how easy I can lose his trust and respect, and I don't want to jeopardize it."

"Alright," Angela reluctantly agrees. "But if he finds out about this, you don't know me."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: And here was have Day four! Jack and Angela have never had it easy. This is another mark in their journey.**

 **'On the fourth day of Bonesmas, my writer friend gave to me** four weeks of waiting'

* * *

When Angela wakes him up in the middle of the night screaming and slapping at his shoulder, Jack instantly knows something is wrong. He jumps out of bed and goes to his wife who is sitting in a pool of blood.

"Get in the car," He directs, trying to stay calm, not only for Angela's sake but for his as well. He wakes up Michael Vincent and tells the sleepy boy to follow his mom outside, explaining something might be wrong with the baby and they have to go to the hospital. Before leaving himself, Jack remembers to grab the file of Angela's medical information, including recordings of her current and past pregnancies.

The drive to the emergency room feels like it takes much longer than it actually does. Jack parks right in front of the door,s vowing to move the car as soon as Angela is settled inside. He walks behind Angela and Michael, who is holding his mom's hand like he did as a toddler, and he suddenly gets very emotional. What if they don't get to see the new baby hold his mom's hand?

The nurse at the check-in desk buzzes them in lightning fast after Angela says "Pregnant. Second trimester. Bleeding." While she's taking Angela's vitals, Hodgins does go back out and moves the car, and is back just as she's being taken into a room.

Once they're alone, Angela lets her guard down and starts to cry. He tries to calm her down and quell her fears that it was all her fault, but he knows he just has to wait her out; let the tears end on their own.

Doctors and nurses come in and out, though there were long periods of silent waiting, and Angela was put through a battery of tests. They took blood and hooked her and the baby up to monitors, and wheeled in an ultrasound machine. Thankfully, the baby seems to be doing perfectly fine; whatever was causing Angela's bleeding didn't seem to be affecting him much, if at all. The ER resident who was conducting the ultrasound didn't seem confident in his diagnosis, and Jack demanded someone from Obstetrics come and look Angela over.

After a few hours, the nurses graciously offer to take Michael somewhere quiet to sleep, but Angela declines all their offers. Having him close makes her feel better.

Finally, morning arrives as does the resident from the OB floor. She reviews the first ultrasound images and conducts another before making her official diagnosis.

Placenta Previa. The placenta, which gives the baby oxygen and nutrients, had decided to implant itself over Angela's cervix, where the baby comes out, instead of into the top of her uterus, where it is supposed to. Not as bad as it could be; not as good as it could be either. Angela's bleeding was under control, and the baby was fine. The doctor saw no need to keep her for more than a day, and they were allowed to go home the next morning with instructions for Angela to go on strict bedrest as a precaution. She would not be allowed to go further than her couch for the next month.

A long month later, Jack brought his extremely stir-crazy wife back into the doctor's office where she was checked out once more. Everything looked as well as it could be, and the baby was still growing wonderfully. So, with much excitement from Angela, the doctor upgraded Angela from full to partial bedrest, meaning she can leave the house for short periods at a time. And she was allowed to go back to work with very limited hours.

And that is just where Angela demand they go once they left the appointment; the artist was desperate to do something besides sit in bed and watch daytime TV. Even the creepy bugs in Hodgins' office seemed like such a wonderful treat.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Happy New year, everyone! Here is a new chapter to enjoy on this first chapter of the year!**

 **'On the fifth day of Bonesmas, my writer friend gave to me** five stuffed animals.'

* * *

It's been a tradition in their little family for each of the babies born to receive a special stuffed animal. Starting when Brennan had given Michael Vincent his fluffy bunny on the day he was born, Michael giving Christine a orange tabby cat, though the girl latched onto the pink bunny her grandpa Max had given her. Christine then broke the line by giving Lance junior a lion saying that it was because his daddy was brave and it would make baby Lance brave too. When Hank was born, the newest Booth child received two stuffed animals. One, a yellow duck, from Lance to continue the chain, and another from his Auntie Angela, who just couldn't resist the floppy blue dog she had seen in the store.

[][]

"Alright, Hank, we have a very important job to do today," Brennan said, opening the door to the independent toy store, Hank holding onto her hand. "Auntie Angela and uncle Jack are having another baby, and you have to find him a stuffed friend."

"My doggie!" Hank says.

"Exactly like your dog," Brennan nods. "So let's look around here and find one for the new baby, okay?"

"Okay!" Hank smiles. Though with lots of new and fun toys around, the toddler becomes easily distracted. "Mommy! Trains! My trains!"

"No, we don't need trains today," Brennan says, pulling her son away from the display wooden train set. "Let's do what we need to do, and then we can play for a little while, okay?" Compromise, Brennan had learned, tended to work best with young children.

The two reach the back corner of the store that had been turned into a stuffed animal paradise. Soft toys of every size, species, and color covered every shelf and littered the floor. A pair of young girls stood nearby, playing with some of the stuffed animals, and looked over when Brennan and Hank walked up.

"Doggie! My doggie!" Hank says, grabbing the closest toy to him. "Mine."

"No, you don't need any more stuffed animals. Your and Christine's room are filled with them. Perhaps we should think about donating some to charity. Do you think your sister would agree to that? Giving some of her toys away to kids who need them."

"'Teen help," Hanks says, understanding what his mom said.

"I think so too," Brennan smiles, squatting down to her son. "Maybe we should get another toy? You have a doggie, do you think the new baby would want the same as you?"

"Same as me! We match!"

"Auntie Angela would think that's sweet, that you want to match stuffed animals with the new baby," Brennan nods. "Well, that was easy. Ready to go?" As Brennan guides Hank back to the front, the toddler suddenly stops.

"Mommy! This one!"

"This one? But I thought you wanted to match the new baby? You had decided."

"No! This one! The baby dino! The dino for Auntie Angela," Hank nods.

"Are you sure?" Brennan asks, nodding at her son.

"I sure. This one."

"Okay. But you have to put the dog away."

"No! Mine!"

Brennan sighs; she really didn't want her son to meltdown in the middle of the store. So she did something very out of character: she gave in; allowed Hank to keep the toy. Booth would be appalled when he found out; she never just gave in, especially when she had made a decision on something. But this was a special occasion; at least that was what she told herself.

Not wanting him to change his mind again, Brennan quickly moves them into line. When they reach the checkstand, she lifts Hank up so he can hand over the toy.

"Thank you!" The girl behind the counter smiles. "Wow, this is a pretty cool dino!"

"I buy it. For the new baby." Hank tells her.

"Oh, really? That is so sweet. I'm sure they will love it."

"Mommy! They gonna love it!" Hank smiles.

"They will," Brennan agrees. She gives Hank the money to pay, and he proudly hands over the bills. The cashier gives back the change and hands over the bag with the present inside.

"I hope your friend enjoys their present! Have a great day!

"Thank you!" Brennan says, prompting Hank to do the same.

"Thank you!"

Mother and son leave the toy store with their mission accomplished. Later that night, Hank 'helps' his mom wrap the gift, which basically consists of the toddler stuffing an obscene amount of tissue paper into a bag and calling it done. Though Brennan does fix it after he goes to bed, Hank's wrapped present sits on his dresser, waiting for the day when the excited boy can give it to his auntie.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Halfway through this adventure! Are you guys having fun? It's snowing and cold here, so I've been writing a lot and listening to the constant football my dad and brother have on TV. Maybe that's why I sent these nerds on vacation, so at least someone could go somewhere warm. Is it bad I'm jealous of them?**

 **Enjoy!**

 **'On the sixth day of Bonesmas, my writer friend gave to me** six days vacation. **'**

* * *

Summer vacation was in full swing. Michael Vincent had passed third grade with flying colors, receiving both a most improved in Science and Citizenship award at his school's end of year assembly. Not twenty-four hours after the last day of school, the Hodgins family whisked off to an undisclosed location for a much-needed vacation. Their days as a family of three were dwindling, and both Jack and Angela wanted to spend as much time with the three of them as they could. Though with Angela still on modified bedrest, flying anywhere was out of the question. So a good, 'ole fashioned road trip started off their trip.

The island sat off the coast of North Carolina and was a popular vacation destination for many families. Their rental house sat as close to the ocean as it could without actually being in the sand. After dumping their bags in the house, the family rushed for the beach, where they spent the remainder of their first evening.

Days fell into a semi-routine of waking up late and easing into the morning and then spending a few hours on the beach where Angela made camp on a chair under an umbrella, and the boys played in the water and found piles of shells. With a beach wheelchair, Jack had full freedom to play with his son; to come and go from the water's edge as he pleased. In the afternoon, they came back home for a rest; usually one of them fell asleep, though some days all three of them managed to nap. In the evenings, they sometimes went back to the beach, or walked along the boardwalk, or just enjoyed their home. Michael loved the hammock chairs on the back deck and could be found quietly reading while rocking in the chair, listening to the sounds of the ocean.

[][]

"Momma! I'm gonna go surfing! Watch me!" Michael shouted at his mom as he dashed back out to the waves, boogie board in hand. He runs into the water, getting up to his chest before turning towards the shore. He looks behind himself, waiting for the next wave. As it comes, he tucks his board under his stomach and pushes off the bottom just as the wave reaches him. Michael uses the momentum to ride back to shore. Dripping wet, he happily looks to his parents, and off their waves and thumbs up, he runs back for more.

"He's gonna sleep well tonight," Jack comments, watching his son surf, more and more kids joining him.

"Oh yeah," Angela agrees. "He's awake," she says, putting Jack's hand on her stomach.

"He loves the beach," Hodgins says. Though the baby had been moving before their trip, the new environment had invigorated the fetus and he had been moving like crazy since they arrived at the beach. "Don't you, buddy?" You love the beach," Jack says, his face pressed against his wife's belly. As if answering his dad, the baby moves again. Arms and legs stretching out, clearly visible from the outside. "See? I'm right," Jack says, smug in his observation.

"Yeah," Angela says, rolling her eyes.

"Dad! Come surf with us!" Michael calls out to him, a band of kids watching, waiting for the next wave to come.

"In a minute, bud!" Jack replies, perfectly content to lay there with his hand on his wife's stomach, feeling their unborn son move around.

[][]

Though they wished they could stay, eventually it was time for the little family to go home. The lab could only survive without their king for so long, and Michael had plans to go to summer camp with his best friend Landen, so they packed up, knocked the piles of sand out of the shoes, and headed up the coast.

Weeks after coming home, all three members of the Hodgins family found sand in places they didn't think sand could get. The shells they had collected found a home in a jar that sat prominently displayed on the entry table of their home; a constant memory of one last, amazing trip.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Well, here is day seven. I hope you nerds enjoy!**

 **'On the seventh day of Bonesmas, by writer friend gave to me** seventh month instanity **.'**

* * *

The end of August signified a few things. One, Michael Vincent officially started fourth grade; two, Angela crossed the seventh-month mark in her pregnancy; and lastly, they only had one month before Cam would hopefully return from her sabbatical and reclaim the throne as Queen of the Lab. And as much as he loved being king, Jack Hodgins was ready for his former boss to come back.

"Yes, I realize we went over budget again last month, but some of those extra expenses were necessary in solving Laura Perkins' murder. And, as you'll recall, we did catch the man that killed the teenager." Jack propped his elbow on his desk as he argued with the powers that be of the Jeffersonian over the lab's apparent 'misuse of government funds'; they had been talking in circles - Jack explaining the need for extra experiments or more testing, and the suits countering with the importance of maintaining a budget and that they were not funding a high school science lab - for hours, and Hodgins was starting to lose his cool.

"I'm serious, Dr. Hodgins. If you do not manage your money better this month, there will be some serious cuts made to your department. Starting with the six intern positions you seem to need to be filled," the suit over the phone said.

"I've explained that to you, Mr. Price! This is a teaching laboratory. Dr. Brennan is educating future Forensic Anthropologists in the best way she can, and every college kid in the country knows this is the best place to work. There are fights over those six spots."

"Dr. Hodgins, maybe you should explain to Dr. Brennan that paying interns is not cheap and that if she is not careful, it could come out of her pay."

Hodgins sighed loudly; he knew it was time to stop and let things cool off before harsher words were said. "Yes, Mr. Price, I will pass on the message." They hang up and Jack is inches from tossing his phone across the room when his computer dings, signaling new test results are ready to be viewed.

Jack goes to his computer and literally laughs out loud when he reads the test results; instantly pulling him from the funk he was in. He was right. The others doubted him, which they rarely do, but he was right! "Angela!" He calls out.

"What's wrong!" Angela asks, rushing into his office. Well, it was more of a waddle than a rush, but what more could you ask of a heavily pregnant lady?

"Nothing, sorry," he apologizes, "I just got the test results back on the swabs I took from the victim's jeans. I was right! He was at Disney World!"

"I told you, no one gets killed at Disney World; it's like the safest place in the country," Angela reminds him with a roll of her eyes.

"The samples I took are an exact match to the water they use in their water rides." Particulates don't lie, that he was sure of.

"Well, maybe he was there earlier in the day and got wet?" Angela says, trying to explain away the bizarre location.

"It was more than a trace anyone could pick up. The guy was dunked into Disney World water around the time he was killed," Jack smiles, smug that finally one of his crazy theories everyone rolled their eyes at was true.

"Okay: Disney World. I'll add that to my simulation of the murder," Angela says, turning to leave, her lab coat barely getting around her growing stomach.

As she leaves, Jack tells her one last thing, "Oh, and I have to cut some of the interns."

"What?" Angela stops in her tracks, turning to her husband, not fully comprehending what he said.

"Yeah, I know," Jack nods. "I talked to Mr. Price upstairs, and he told me I either have to cut interns or my experiments."

"Well, say goodbye to your experiments," Angela says, taking the decisions away from Jack.

"Ange! Come on, you know how important my tests are to our cases!"

"Yeah, and you know how important the interns are to Brennan. She would be livid if she knew what you were going to do."

"You're really going to side with Brennan on this?"

"Sorry, babe, but this time I am," Angela says her brow furrowing. "You can figure things out, you always do. But Brennan? She may think she doesn't, but she needs those interns. I'm sorry."

Finally alone, Hodgins goes into his head. Experiments are his thing, it's how he best works cases, and how he connects with the interns. Getting snakes to vomit, putting pigs through wood chippers, exploding various objects; all hold memories of ideas tested, and friendships created. Hodgins knew he could adapt and do fewer experiments, even if it was less fun. Besides, this new class of interns that just started wasn't half bad; they weren't Wendell or Zack material. But none of them had shot him. Yet. So that was a plus.

Jack types out a quick email to Mr. Price telling him he would make the necessary cuts to not only improve the lab's use of money but also keep their interns. And once that was done, he dives back into their current case, determined to officially prove their victim had been killed at Disney World.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Well, here is day eight for you guys. I've had a lot of fun writing the last two chapters. I hope you guys are liking them too.**

* * *

"Come on, Ange! Just think about it."

"I already did. And I'm not doing it."

"It would be fun!"

"What would be fun?" One of the interns, Isla, asks, not trying to listen in on the argument. The rest of the Lab liked her well enough. She was quiet, never going out with them after work, and didn't talk much about her personal life. But she did amazing work, which impressed Brennan more than enough.

"Hodgins wants to make Brennan's Twitter followers decide the name of our baby," Angela says, rolling her eyes once again at the absurdity of the idea.

"Ha! That would be great! You'd really get the people going," Isla laughs; it's the first time anyone had seen her do it and it shocks them.

"You do realize this is an important decision we have to make, right? This is not just where should we go for dinner or shout I buy this jacket. We are talking about a person!" Angela says, annoyed the intern is siding with her husband. And she was really starting to like this one too. "We don't need the internet to decide. We can do it on our own."

"You remember how that turned out last time, don't you?" Hodgins deadpans, rolling up his sleeve to reveal the tattoo on his bicep.

"Oh my god!" Isla gasps.

"Yeah," Hodgins says, nodding at the now laughable memory. "Let's just say Angela's dad has a very unique way of getting people to agree to his ideas."

"But I talked to him, and he agreed to let us decide on the baby's name this time," Angela says.

"Sure," Hodgins says, not trusting his wife or his father-in-law who had a knack of showing up silently and unexpectedly.

"I promise!" Angela says.

"Look, you guys won't have to take the whole Twitter thing seriously," Isla continues. "I mean, it could just be for fun. Like rubbing a balloon on the carpet and watching it make your hair stand up. It's silly."

"Yeah, Angie, be silly," Hodgins smiles.

Angela mulls over the idea again, irritated at her husband's excitement, but mostly worried that the choice the people of the internet pick will one she doesn't love. Not that she would take that into consideration when making the final name decision, but it would still be on her mind and she didn't want to deal with it.

"Alright fine," Angela finally agrees. "But we are not taking this seriously. This is the Buzzfeed quiz of baby naming."

It doesn't take long for Jack to hack into Brennan's Twitter account. "You would think after everything we've been through she'd learn to change her passwords every now and again." And they are quickly composing a poll for her nearly 30,00 followers. "Alright, so you want to do one of my picks, one of yours, one of your dad's and then Michael's?" Jack asks, setting up the poll.

"Yeah," Angela nods, stealing the keyboard and typing her option. Reaching for her phone as it buzzes, Angela reads the text and motions to the intern still with them. "Brennan says she doesn't know what we're doing in here, but you're supposed to be in Limbo cataloging remains."

"Guess I better go," Isla says, defeated. "But I'll put my vote in as soon as I can," she smiles, heading for the elevator.

"Okay, I got yours, mine and your dad's. All that's left is Michael's," Hodgins says, typing in the name their eldest son suggested for his brother.

"He's been reading way too much 'Series of Unfortunate Events'," Angela says.

"Hey, it's unique," Hodgins shrugs. "I kind of like it."

"You really want our kid to be named 'Klaus'? He'd get beat up in Nursery School!"

"Could be worse. Michael could have suggested 'poo-," Jack didn't get to finish that sentence as his wife quickly smacks him. "I'll just post it now," Hodgins nods, clicking one button and sending their poll out into the interwebs. "I gave it an eight-hour voting window, so all we can do now is wait."

[][]

"Angela, do you want to tell me why I have so many people Twittering me? I haven't used that social media in quite some time," Brennan asks later that day walking into Angela's office.

Angela looks up from her computer. Oh crap. "Well, see here's the thing," she starts. "Hodgins thought it would be funny to get your Twitter followers to pick the baby's name. So we get into your account and created a poll and did it," she says. Coming from her mouth it sounds totally crazy, but that's the fun of it.

"Oh, well I hope you realize the amount of trust you are putting into people on the internet. I've heard some of them named their child 'North'," Brennan laughs. "It is quite absurd. I certainly hope you won't allow your child to be named something like that."

"God no! Come on, Brennan, you know me better than that," Angela says. "You want to see what's winning so far?" Brennan rounds the desk as Angela pulls up Twitter and the current poll standings. "Looks like Hodgins' choice is winning right now." She looks up at her friend to see if she understands what Jack was doing when he picked the name. "He was being kind of metaphoric. I mean considering everything this little guy has been through already, it seemed fitting."

"It's beautiful," Brennan says. "I vote for that one."

Angela laughs at that. "You can't vote! It's on your account!"

"I still hope that one wins."

"Yeah, me too," Angela whispers.

[][]

Though work had kept them busy enough, the excitement and anxiety of the forthcoming poll results keep Jack and Angela returning time and again to the poll to check the standings. By the end of the day, they both had a favorite option they were pulling for and when they met up in Angela's office to see the final results, each was silently praying for their favorite to be number one.

"Remember: this is all in good fun. We are in no way going to take this seriously, right?" Angela says, tablet in hand.

"Right," Hodgins nods. "The Buzzfeed quiz of baby names," he smiles, repeating her earlier statement.

"Okay. Here we go then."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Day nine is here! I hope you enjoy this sweet boy and his mom.**

* * *

He finds Michael standing in the hallway, still in pajamas when he's meant to be getting ready for school. A concerned look is on his face, and he's rubbing the hem of his shirt through his fingers.

"Hey, bud," Hodgins says going to his son. "What's wrong?

"Mom doesn't feel good again, does she?" Michael asks.

"No, she doesn't," Jack tells him honestly. 'Doesn't feel good' was an extreme understatement of how his wife was feeling. She was thirty-seven weeks pregnant, and miserable. No position could relieve the pain in her hips and back, and the baby clearly couldn't get comfortable either; he'd been moving almost constantly the past few days. And that meant no sleep for Angela, or him for that matter.

"I wish there was something we could do to help her." Their sweet boy; always worried more about others than himself.

"I know, bud. But we can't really do much. The baby's coming soon, but mom has to push through until then."

"There has to be something," Michael says, shaking his head. He goes back into his room and while he's getting dressed, thinks of ways he can help his mom. Then he spies, in the bin tucked into the cubby of his bedside table, the hippo shaped heating pad he'd used when his ankle got hurt playing soccer earlier in the season. Perfect.

"If you're going to ride the bus with Jordan today, you need to get a move on," Jack says to Michael as the boys come rushing into the kitchen, still in his pajamas. Michael tosses the heating pad into the microwave, and while it's warming up, he fills a cup with water and makes a few pieces of toast. "I don't want to go to school today," Michael tells his dad, finishing putting together his materials to bring to his mom.

"Why not? Did something happen?" Jack asks, suddenly concerned. Michael seemed to love school; always came home with stories and tales of what they learned. Was is sour demeanor earlier that morning something to do with him not wanting to go to school?

"Cause mom needs me," Michael says simply, passing his dad to go back to his parent's bedroom. He enters the semi-dark room as quietly as he can, setting the water and toast on the bedside table. Angela is laying on her side, watching Michael.

"Hey, baby," she whispers. "Why aren't you at school?"

"I'm not going to school today. I'm going to take care of you." Michael says, smiling, a hand on his mom's shoulder.

"Michael," Angela sighs, not mad, but sad her son thinks he has to miss school to take care of her. "Why do you need to take care of me?"

"Because you take care of me when I'm sick. It's my turn."

"Baby, you don't have to do that," Angeal says, tears coming to her eyes.

"I know. But I want to. I don't like seeing so sad and hurt."

"I don't like it either. But it just comes with being pregnant. I was the same way before you came."

"Really?"

Yeah; ask your dad. He was amazing. He helped me so much. But it was worth it. In the end, I got you," she says, running a hand over Michael's cheek. It's only then that she notices everything he son had brought with him. "What did you make me?"

"I did what you do when I'm sick," Michael shrugs. "Water, some toast, and the heating pad to put on the places you're sore."

"That is so sweet," Angela says, sniffling and wiping at tears. "I think I'll use that heating pad now while it's still warm." She places the warm animal across her hip, and it does help a bit at easing the pain.

"Michael! I'm not playing games anymore. You're going to be late for school," Hodgins says. Irritated, coming into the room.

"I told you, I'm not going to school. I'm gonna take care of momma," Michael says, standing his ground.

"It's okay, babe," Angela says, twisting to meet Jack's eyes. The two share a silent conversation, and Jack backs off.

"I'll go call your school," he says.

"Come lay down with me," Angela requests. Michael climbs into bed and lays behind his mom, his head high on the pillow so he can talk to her. Angela turns on the tv and finds the early morning cartoons Michael loved as a toddler. "Considering this is a sick day, a bit of comfort TV is in order, huh?"

"Yeah," Michael says, already falling back into a once beloved show.

The two lay there in comfortable silence, Michael making sure his mom was okay and drinking and eating some, and Angela letting it happen, relishing at how sweet Michael was and his need to make sure she was okay.

[][]

A while later, after getting out of a shower and getting dressed, Hodgins comes back into the room to find his wife, finally, sleeping, and his son still watching cartoons. The scene was so perfect, he hated to mess it up.

"Hey, Michael," he stage whispers, getting his son's attention. "I have to go into work for a little while. Are you going to be okay here?"

"Go, dad. I got this," Michael nods, seeming much older than his nine years of age.

"Okay," Jack nods, smiling. "Call me if you need me."

He arrives at the lab, getting morning greetings from everyone, eyeing the bustle of activity on the Platform. He quickly stores his bag and changes into his lab coat before riding the lift onto the platform to join the others.

"Hey!" Cam smiles, freshly back from her sabbatical. "How's Angela doing?"

"Still miserable. But Michael stayed home from school and somehow got her to sleep this morning," Hodgins relays.

"That is so sweet," Cam says; she'd always had a soft spot for all her team's kids, but Michael Vincent definitely stole her heart first.

"Yeah, it kind of was. You should have seen him," Jack chuckles, "he was so forceful to me. Like he'd made up his mind and nothing was going to change it."

"He's his mom's son," Cam remarks.

"That's for sure," Jack agrees, laughing. "Alright, what do we got?" He asks, slipping on a pair of gloves, pointing to the body currently on their table. But he doesn't get very far into the initial assessment because his phone rings. Jack quickly pulls it out of his pocket and seeing the caller id, he answers it just as fast. "Michael?"

"Dad? Mom needs you."


	10. Chapter 10

The others must have seen his face change because as soon as Hodgins hangs up from the call, they are asking all sorts of questions. But he doesn't answer, he's too busy silently willing the lift to get him down faster. And as soon as he's back on level ground, Jack takes off.

Keys! Where are my keys?

He's storming around his office, knocking over tables and equipment; though, in a swift move, he does manage to catch a glass beaker before it hits the ground.

"Jack? Maybe I should drive. You're in no state to do it on your own."

"Dr. Brennan, I appreciate the offer, but I just need to get out of here as fast as possible." He finally finds his keys and is nearly out of his office when Brennan catches him.

"Angela is my friend. I need to make sure she's okay." Jack can see the same look of fear on Brennan's face that is probably painting his as well. He just has to get home.

"Okay. Let's go."

[][]

"Angie? Angela!"

"Dad?" Michael's call has Hodgins rushing down the hallway towards his bedroom where he had been not two hours prior watching his wife and son cuddle while watching cartoons. Michael is standing frozen between the door and his mom, his brow furrowed as if he's trying really hard not to cry or be scared.

And now, Jack is faced with another dilemma: comfort his son or help his wife. He's starting to move when Brennan rushes past him, brushing a hand across Michael's shoulder, straight towards Angela who is squatting against the bed, her face buried in the blankets.

"Angela-"

"I know!" Angela cries, not even needing to hear the rest of what Brennan was going to say.

"Hey, bud," Hodgins says softly to Michael, smiling to him. The boy falls into his dad's shoulder, the sobs he was trying so hard to hold back already breaking through. "Hey, it's okay," Hodgins says, rubbing Michael's back. "You were right to call me; you did good."

"But mom-"

"-is going to be okay," Jack nods, smiling. Michael sniffles, wiping at the tears falling down his face, nodding trusting his dad. "And I think the baby is coming." The two venture closer to the girls, Brennan had helped Angela to stand up and still had a protective hand on her side. "You okay?" Hodgins asks his wife, forgetting the other two in the room. Angela going into labor wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either; they had to be very careful.

"Yeah," Angela nods, taking his hand, blinking back tears. "But I think we need to go to the hospital." Jack has to laugh at that; gee, ya think?

"Michael, go put your shoes on. We're leaving in two minutes. Dr. B, there is a black back in our closet, will you grab that?" He'd taken control, way calmer than he'd been when Michael was born, and he didn't know if it was fear or adrenaline, but holding Angela's hand was the only thing keeping him from shaking. And he didn't let go, save for the briefest of moments to help Angela into the car and get in himself. Brennan offered to drive again, and Michael Vincent happily moved to the passenger seat so his parents could sit together, and got them all to the hospital despite Jack's nervous sniping at her.

The receptionist steals a wheelchair for Angela and sends them straight up to the labor and delivery floor, telling them she'll let the nurses know they're coming. When the elevator lets then out four floors up, the organized chaos before them both calms and frightens them. Phones ring, people rush here and there, babies cry; it's a sensory overload none of them are used to.

"Are you Angela Montenegro?" The nurse behind the desk asks them.

"Yeah," Angela nods, breathing through the end of another contraction.

"Good," she types away on her computer, getting Angela registered. "And you are how far along?"

"A little over thirty-seven weeks."

"And your contractions?"

"About every eight minutes."

"Okay, well just sit tight, we're getting a room ready for you. Mom, we need you to fill out some paperwork," the nurse says, handing a clipboard to Brennan.

"Oh….well….actually, I'm not-"

"She's just here for moral support," Hodgins interjects. "I'm the husband," he takes the clipboard, only slightly offended at the misunderstanding.

"Oh, I am so sorry," the nurse apologizes.

"Don't worry about it," Hodgins says plainly, ending the exchange. When Angela gets his eyes, her look causes him to stop. "I'm fine," he says, tapping pen to paper, "really."

Eventually, Angela gets taken back to a room and the nurse helps get her settled and hooked up to monitors which prove she is indeed in active labor; though his personality is wonderful, this nurses' work with an IV needle needs improvement, but four sticks later Angela is finally hooked up.

"Well, hello everyone!" Dr. Bannon says brightly, coming into the room with the same bright demeanor she'd had the last time she'd been Angela's obstetrician. She shakes hands with the adults in the room, and when her eyes land on Michael, her smile gets even wider, if that was possible. "You must be Michael, right?"

"Mmhmm," he nods, unsure of the stranger.

"I was your mom's doctor the day you were born," Dr. Bannon explains.

"You were?"

"Yeah. I bet you're excited to be a big brother, huh?"

"Yeah," Michael nods brightly.

"He's beautiful," the doctor remarks. She always loved seeing the babies she'd delivered grow up; whether that be Christmas card photos or in person chats, those updates meant a lot to her.

"Thanks," Angela smiles. They'd done good, she knew that much.

"Alright, Angela, let's see where we're at," Dr. Bannon says, washing her hands and pulling on gloves. The doctor checks her, noting that Angela is at a five, nearly six, and offers the expectant mom some pain medicine. Angela declines, claiming she did it once and can do it again. With a nod, the doctor agrees, though leaves the option open just in case, and tells them she'd be back to check on them later.

And then they wait. Nurses come in to check on her, as does the doctor, and contractions get closer and closer. Standing is the only thing that offers Angela some semblance of pain relief, and her family takes turns feeding her ice chips, which Michael happily reports they many options of flavors that can be added, and offering any support they can.

She's at a seven and a half when Brennan offers to take Michael to get something to eat, and after some gentle prodding from his parents, the boy follows his aunt to the cafeteria. When the door clicks closed, the beeping monitors and the baby's whooshing heartbeat seem very loud.

It's the first time they've been truly alone all day, and all Jack can think about is the day Michael was born. How scared they were and how hard he tried to be strong for his wife, but it was really Angela who was strong for the both of them. He'd heard a lot of guys say they didn't know how strong their wives were until the day they gave birth, and he'd always laughed them off. He knew how strong Angela was. But when he looks over at his wife leaning against her hospital bed, breathing through another contraction, he sees that exact same strength.

"Hey," he whispers, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she replies.

And then her water breaks.

[][]

Angela progresses from an eight to a nine, to a ten fairly quickly and before long it's time to start pushing.

"Okay, bud, it's time for you to go wait outside with Auntie Brennan, okay?" Hodgins tells his son as nurses bustle around getting everything set up.

"You really don't want to be here for this," Angela agrees. "It's just going to be bloody and gross."

"Okay," Michael complies, holding his mom's hand one last time.

"We will come to get you first thing," Angela says. They'd agreed that Michael should be the first person to meet the baby. And with one last hug and kiss, Michael and Brennan leave the room, Brennan telling them she'd let everyone else know what was going on.

"Okay, Angela," Dr. Bannon says, "on the next contraction, I want to you push." Angela nods, looking to the side at Hodgins who leans over and kisses her cheek. Over the monitor, the next contraction stats and Angela takes a breath and bears down as everyone around her starts to count.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

"Okay, stop pushing." Dr. Bannon's direction let Angela fall back against the pillows and breathe. "Jack? Do you want to help?" Hodgins looks from the doctor to his wife and nods. He washes his hands and puts on the gloves the nurses hand him.

"Oh my god, Ange," he says, his face in shock.

"What? What's wrong?" Angela says, starting to freak out a bit.

"Nothing, it's okay, babe. I can see him. He's got hair!" His smile falters only a bit as the doctor tells him what to do as Angels starts to push again. "Push, babe!" He cheers. That head full of hair turns into a real baby as his shoulders come out followed quickly by his lower half. He's laid on Angela's chest and both mom and baby start crying.

"Hi!" Angela gasps, rubbing her hands all over the baby. "Hello. You're okay, it's okay." Hodgins cuts the cord, throws away his gloves and goes to his wife and son.

"You did so good," Jack praises, kissing his wife. "Look at him." He finally gets a good look at their baby boy, and the tiny face before him is the spitting image of his wife. Michael as an infant was a good mix of the both of them, but this baby, at least so far, was all Angela.

Twenty minutes go by, and the doctors finish working on Angela and report she did well. She'd bled more than they'd expected, but with the high-risk nature of the delivery, it was something they were prepared for. And the baby lay snuggled against his mom, wrapped up in layers of warm blankets, perfectly content.

So when the nurses from pediatrics move him to run all their assessments, he protests loudly. Yup: all Angela. "I know, buddy," a nurse in Pooh Bear printed scrubs croons laying the baby down. "Any guesses for height and weight?" she asks over her shoulder at Angela, and to Jack who stands next to her with the baby.

"Eighteen inches, 7.9," Angela guesses.

"6.11, eighteen inches," Jack says.

The nurse hits a button and a moment later the baby's weight appears on the tiny screen above him. "Six pounds, nine ounces," The nurse says, and Jack happily gloats, making Angela happily roll her eyes. "And seventeen and a quarter inches." She records all the stats, and places leads to monitor the baby's heart rate and pulse ox. Though he'd finally calmed down, when his heel gets stuck for the blood test, he starts to cry all over again. During the eye exam, the room goes silent as both parents pray their new son was alright; either way, they were going to be okay.

"Everything looks good," the pediatrician assesses, turning to the parents. "I'll have to check again in the morning, but I see on symptoms of LCA."

"Oh, thank God!" Jack sighs, hearing Angela choke back a sob and whisper her own thanks to the universe. The doctor hands Hodgins the baby, and he cradles the boys close.

"Does he have a name?" the nurse asks, pen ready to mark the forms. Jack looks up fro the baby to Angela, and when their eyes meet, he smiles, seeming to know what she was going to say.

They'd picked the name weeks ago. It had been Jack's choice and came in second in the Twitter poll; though when she'd seen it written out and looked at it all day, Angela had fallen in love. It was literal and meaningful and perfect for their tiny baby boy.

Angela takes a breath, suddenly emotional, her voice cracks as she says his name officially for the first time.

"Phoenix. Phoenix Jack."


	11. Chapter 11

On the way down the hallway to get Michael, Jack has to stop and take a minute to collect himself; all the emotions of the day were catching up to him. They'd had a baby. He was tiny and perfect, and Angela had done so well. Michael Vincent was a big brother. A big brother who knew something was off about his mom and quickly called his dad for help. A big brother who was going to be the best one he could possibly be. A nurse walking by stops and asks him if he was okay. Jack nods, explaining he just needed a minute after everything.

Everyone is there, just like he knew they would be. Clark, Wendell, and Arastoo were talking by the coffee cart; Brennan and Booth had claimed a group of chairs and were talking, probably about their current case, as Christine, Hank, and Jordan played a game on an iPad nearby. The eldest two Vaziri boys are missing, Hodgins notices as he scans the room; probably too uncomfortable with the situation to come. And seated away from the rest of the group are Michael and Cam. Michael is sitting as close to his aunt as he can without actually sitting on her lap, and Cam has an arm wrapped around him and is talking quietly to him. The two had always had a close relationship, and Jack is so grateful that Cam could be of some support to Michael when he couldn't

'Hey, guys," Jack says, going up to the pair. Michael is quick to stand up, and Hodgins hugs him close, squeezing hard.

"Is Momma okay?" he asks.

"She's fine," Hodgins reassures, his blue eyes bearing into his son's brown ones.

"I tried to tell him," Cam says, a wave of a hand explaining the countless times in the past few hours she had said the exact same thing to Michael.

By now, the others have noticed his presence and crowded around, desperate for an update, spewing out questions all at once.

"How's Angela?"

"How's the baby?"

"How are you?"

Hodgins answers Wendell's question first. "I'm good, man," he nods. "I'm overwhelmed. Angela did amazingly. She's fine," Jack smiles towards Brennan. "And the baby is perfect." He has to stop and blink back tears. "He's got a lot of hair, and he looks just like Angela. He's perfect."

"Well, we can't wait to meet him," Cam says with a wide smile.

"You will. But we wanted Michael to meet his brother first," Jack says, nodding at his oldest son who had looked up to meet his eyes. "Come on." The boys head back down the hallway, Michael taking the lead, and quietly slip through the door to Angela's room.

When her oldest son appears, Angela's face becomes alight with happiness. "Hey, baby!" she sighs beckoning him closer. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," Michael answers, still standing away from his mom's bed; afraid. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. I'm tired, but I'm okay. Come here." She can see his reticence to come closer, so she offers a hand and slowly Michael steps closer and closer and finally takes it. Angela pulls him the final few inches until he's leaning against the side of the bed. "You want to meet your brother?"

"Yeah," Michael smiles.

Angela pushes the blankets around Phoenix's face down a bit and holds him up so his big brother can get a look at him. "Phoenix? This is Michael, he's your brother." When Michael slowly reaches out to touch him, Angela smiles. "You can touch him, it's okay. Babies are pretty tough."

"He's really little," Michael comments, running a finger over his brother's face, studying every feature.

"He's about as big as you were when you were born."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm," Angela confirms, slipping off the soft cotton cap on Phoenix's head revealing the head of hair that had caused Angela so much heartburn during her pregnancy to create. "He's got more hair too," she teases.

"Can I hold him?" Michael asks, a slight hesitation in his voice as if the request might be too much this early in the baby's life.

"Of course you can," Angela nods, "come sit up here." She scoots over enough for Michael to sit beside her on the bed and before the kid realizes, Phoenix is being put into his arms. "Now, you have to support his head. Yeah, just like that," she gently coaches. The sight of her oldest baby holding his new brother is enough to get her to start crying again. "He really likes you," Angela says, wiping away her tears.

The trio of mother and sons are oblivious to the fourth member of their family sitting across from them snapping a few pictures, but mostly taking in the moment and trying to commit every single detail to memory.

"You want to bring everyone else in?" Angela asks, finally looking up to him.

"Yeah. I'll go get them," Hodgins nods, leaving the room only to return a minute later with the rest of their family.

Angela had taken the baby back from Michael, though he stayed sitting closely next to her, and a minute later, the door opens again and their extended family pours in.

"Oh my gosh!" Christine squeals, making a beeline for her aunt and new cousin, her dad quickly scolding her for being so loud. "He's so cute!" she says, slightly quieter. "Can I hold him?"

"Yeah," Angela nods, laughing a bit at her goddaughter. Her entire pregnancy, Christine had been as, or even more excited, than the entire Hodgins family. "Go sit down and Uncle Jack will help you, okay?" With the baby out of the way, the others make their way over to Angela greeting her with hugs and kisses and words of congratulations before going to see the newest member of their family. "You're not going to tell me you're pregnant again, are you?" Angela asks Brennan when she has her turn.

"No!" Brennan laughs, "not this time." Both women laugh at the memory of a night in a similar hospital room a handful of years prior.

"Hey, look at this! Angela, you got yourself a twin over here," Booth says with Phoenix in his arms, having taken him from Christine.

"Well, I had to give him something," Angela replies. "He's gonna have Hodgins' hair; I can tell."

"There's an idea for a first birthday gift: a weed whacker!" Wendell says, joining in to tease Jack a bit.

"Hey! Watch it!" Hodgins adds, smiling.

"Well, let's hope he has your personality too," Cam says. "Because if he takes after his dad and brother, with that hair, we all better watch out." She was taking her turn holding the baby, who for his part was fast asleep in her arms, and for someone who claimed to not like babies, Camille Saroyan was really good with them. "Okay: I have to ask. What's his name?"

Jack, Michael, and Angela all look at each other smiling. They hadn't told anyone yet.

"Michael? You want to do it?" Hodgins asks.

With a nod, Michael sits up, specifically looking at Cam, but addressing everyone. "Guys, this is my brother Phoenix. Phoenix? This is your family."

[][]

Over the next few hours, the family hangs out. Food is ordered, and nurses come and go about their business, dancing around the family members like it's a well-rehearsed routine. Phoenix is passed from one set of hands to the next, returning to his mom only when he needs to be fed. But when someone pops open a bottle of champagne, their party is quickly ended by the stern charge nurse who sites the ending of visiting hours as the reason for kicking them out, but they all know the truth: the nurses are jealous no one poured them a drink.

After one more round of hugs, and gift bags being left on any available surface, their family leaves and all that is left in the suddenly quiet hospital room is their little family of four.

What a day, Angela thinks to herself as she watches her boys: Hodgins is watching Phoenix who had fallen asleep in his arms, and Michael is lounging next to her watching TV. What a journey they had been on just in the last eight months; all the tears and worries and laughter. She was so grateful to have her family. Her boys. "I love you. Do you know that? I love you," she says, taking Michael's hand and lacing their fingers.

"Hmm?" Jack asks, looking up as if he only caught the tail end of her words.

"I said I love you."


End file.
